Seal.



no MODEL.

WITNESSES.-

PATENTED SEPT. 15, 1903; L. E. WOOD & p. R. COOPER".

SEAL.

I APPLICATION FILED JAN. '1, 1903. I

- UNITED LEONARD E. WOOD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, AND CHARLES R. I BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA.

STATES- Patented September 15,

COOPER, o'F

SEAL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 739,248, dated September 15, 1903.

Application filed January '7, 1903.

siding in the city and county of San Francisco, and CHARLES R. COOPER, residingat Berkeley, county of Alameda, State of California, citizens of the United States, have invented an Improvement in Seals; and we hereby declare the following to be a full',clear, and exact description of the same.

Our invention relates to a device for sealing cars, rooms, and receptacles of any sort, and it is especially designed for use upon freight-cars where it is desirable to seal the doors to preventany removal of or tampering of the goods contained therein.

It consists, essentially, of a flexible metal strap adapted to pass through the hasp and staple or look of any description by which the door is secured and in a means for securing the ends of said metal strap sothat it cannot be Opened or removed without showing that it has been tampered with.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a view of a blank readyfor forming. Fig. 2 shows the ends of the seal separated. Fig. 3 shows the ends in partial engagement. Fig. 4 shows the ends fully interlocked. Fig. 5 shows the seal closed through staples.

It is customary to seal the locks of freightcars and like receptacles by the use of flexible or soft-metal bands, which are passed through the lock or other fastening and the ends are afterward secured together either by a soft-metal seal or by interlocking the ends in such a manner as to prevent their being separated.

It is the object of ourinvention to improve this latter form of flexible sealing-band and provide a means for readily interlocking the ends and preventing their being again separated. 7

As shown in the accompanying drawings, A is a flexible metal band of this description, having one end formed with a tongue, as at 2, which projects beyond, and a side projection 3, which may be folded over after the tongue has been bent inwardly upon the part A,the fold covering and inclosing the tongue, and the edge which is folded over may be united with the coincident edge of the part Serial No. 138,131. (No man.)

A by soldering or otherwise closing it hermetically, thus leaving a small opening at the end exterior to the tongue 2. This tongue 2 is sufficiently elastic so that its inner end i normally springs out against the folded-over portion 3. The opposite end of the band A has a similar fold or tongue 4, and this may be introduced into the open end between the tongue 2 and the folded-over portion 3, and,

being pushed'in, the tongue 4. will pass the caused tointerlock with eachother, one pass- 7o ing within the other, so that it is impossible to separate them.

In order to prevent the introduction of any instrument to temporarily spring the tongues down, and thus allow them to pass each-other, T7 5 we make a small lug or projection 5 upon the inside of the portion A, this lug projecting inward, so as to press upon the tongue 2 and to hold it normally against the innersurface and the folded-over portion 3. This projection 5 may be formed in various ways. It may be a separate piece secured upon the inside of the part A, or it may be formed by indenting the part A from the outside, cor-respondingly bulging this indented portion toward the inside. By this projection pressing constantly upon the tongue it will be impossible to move the latter sufficiently to disengage the two tongues without mutilating the seal,

so that any tampering with it will'be at once 0 discovered when the car arrives at any point where inspection takes place.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, isa 1. A seal consisting of a flexible strip having tongues folded back outwardly and i nwardly respectively upon the opposite ends so as to interlock when brought together, a

sheath, covering and inclosing the inwardly- I00 press upon the interlocking tongues to prevent separation.

2. A seal consisting of a flexible strip having one end folded back to the outside to form an elastic tongue, the other end folded inwardly to form a second elastic tongue, a. side section formed with said end adapted to be folded inwardly over the tongue to form an inclosing sheath and an inwardly-projecting Io lug formed on the outer portion of the band or strip and adapted to press upon the tongues when interlocked.

In witness whereof We have hereunto set our hands.

LEONARD E. \VOOD. CHARLES R. COOPER.

Witnesses:

S. H. NOURSE, JESSIE C. BRODIE. 

